a simple sweet tooth
by Aiko Isari
Summary: Ryouma is not going to panic. It's a complete coincidence that Taiki is here for his tea every week. It's normal. It's fine. Okay, it's fine, but he's not!
1. 1

1.

What does he say to make this less awkward?

Ryouma, fingers poised over the register keys, has no idea.

"U-uhm," he managed to say to the customer. "Wh-what can I get for you?"

Kudo Taiki smiled innocently, or what seemed like innocence. Admittedly, Ryouma was caught between running from the register and killing himself with the damn machine. "Chai tea please," he said, looking back at the old chalkboard. "And a set of vanilla scones."

"R-right away." Ryouma managed to take the order down and get the money before he had to bolt into the kitchen and hyperventilate. There was, lucky for him, no

He was really regretting getting this job now.

"He's here three times a week," a waiter helpfully supplied.

Ryouma groaned. "I'm screwed."

Why did his middle school crush have to be here? Now? At all?

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ And here is my delayed start to digiotpweek! It's been done a while but other work has been distracting! So here they all are!

Challenges: digiotpweek day one, One Ship Boot Camp prompt 6 - service, Mini Fic Masterclass Drabblechap (XW) 10, Diversity Writing (DFC AM) F54.


	2. 2

2.

Taiki came the next day too, smiled like always,and sat by the window, doing his homework and looking as hale and healthy as if he had not been stabbed only four years ago. Embarrassing phase didn't even begin to cut it.

Did his hero even recognize him? He hoped not deep down that would be exactly what he needed. A second chance… Wait a second chance for what?

Ryouma, ever so determined to not make another mistake (though attempted murder could hardly count as a mistake), decided not to think about that anymore.

Needless to say, that worked about as well as expected.


	3. 3

3.

Ren laughed at him, the bastard.

"He's not going to stop existing if you don't look at him," he'd said, climbing beside him up the stairs.

Ryouma had slugged him, as he always had because Ren brought the urge to break his nose out of everyone. IT was his main talent. "That's not the point."

"What's the point then?"

Two weeks and one purpled bruise later, Ryouma still had no idea how he was supposed to do that. Taiki came at least every other day, ordered a bit of food, and some tea and sat at a table for a few hours and worked. There didn't seem to be anything behind it. It did seem rather lonely, if he was going to be honest.

But that wasn't something that _he_ was going to fix. Right?


	4. 4

4.

"Ryouma," hissed the voice of his fellow cashier. "Go get the window table on the right some more scones, he didn't get his change!"

"Why can't you just give the extra back?" he asked over calculating his current order.

"It's already in! I'll cover the line just go do it!"

"Urgh, fine."

Honestly Ryouma should have known he was being set up but three coffees spilled on his apron in a row had dulled him to such things.

"Oh!" Taiki's expression was surprised and pleased all at the same time. "Hey there."

He was going to kill his coworkers one at a time. In front of each other. With the coffee stirrers.


	5. 5

5.

"We-uhm, we have some extra scones for you." Ryouma's hands totally weren't trembling at all. Nope. And he did not sound like a frightened twelve-year-old nope.

Taiki's expression melted into a puzzled frown. "Oh, uh… thanks. Do you know why?"

"You didn't take your change." His voice was high right now, he sounded like he sniffed helium rather than inhaled it full force. "Unfortunately it got mixed up at the till so… something had to give. Not many people buy them anyway, complain they're too soft."

"My sweet tooth is strange," Taiki offered, slowly reaching for them. "Thanks Ryouma."

"Uh… right. You're welcome!" Oh god, did his professional voice have to sound like _that_?

Taiki smiled and it only made his stomach churn worse with unspoken apologies and the thought of blood pouring out instead of scones going in.

Ryouma excused himself as fast as humanly possible to contemplate shoving his burning face into the dishwater.

He couldn't of course but it was so gosh darn tempting. Especially since every free moment he had, few and far between as they were, were spent checking if Taiki was looking at him.

He wasn't.


	6. 6

6.

Ryouma had no illusions about the kind of person he had been, though he likely had plenty of ideas on the person he had become. Most of them weren't very good.

THe urge that had driven him in the first place, the idea of heroics, wasn't gone after all. And that explained mostly everything, including now why he was helping Ren repaint his room, rather than let him do it all by himself. Or maybe that was just a serious level of masochism.

He'd have to figure it out later, when he wasn't almost smacking into Tagiru with the paint roller.

It was the little things, if decking the teen in grey paint could be called little.


	7. 7

7.

I didn't think you did this kind of thing!"

"There's a lot I'll do for Ren that I won't do for most people."

Ryouma could see now more than ever why Yuu constantly contemplated decking Tagiru into the nearest heavy object in hopes for ten seconds of bliss. And then the horror of intentional murder would set in but still. It was the thought that counted. It was the hope of being left alone.

"Would you do it for Taiki-san?"

Ryouma resisted the urge to swing the bucket of paint. "I am not dignifying that with a response," he says instead and Tagiru guffaws.

"You would!"

"Bold of you to assume he'd even ask me."

"Why not? He goes to the coffee shop you work at."

Tagiru would make it that simple wouldn't he?


	8. 8

8.

Three days of painting and moving furniture later and Ryouma was half-convinced he and Yuu were the ones who had been painting, not the other way around.

"Are you sure you want to rent out space to this one in college?" Ryouma asked dryly, watching Yuu stack up paint cans by a hose.

"Are you sure you want to keep living next to that one in life?" Yuu said with a shrug. "I pick my battles. I'll take him doing household chores and the like to hearing him complain about his parents expecting things from him."

"I'll just have to handle hearing his loud music at 2 am that isn't worth hearing."

Both rolled their eyes at each other and kept at it.

Then Yuu glanced at his phone. "Nee-san roped Taiki-san into baking again. You want half of it?"

"Taiki-san can bake?"

Yuu raised an eyebrow. "Taiki-san can do anything except tell a joke. You want half?"

"... if it's not too much trouble."

"Please. Nee-san makes giant batches so her staff can pelt people with it. She won't notice."

Ryouma looked up from his embarrassment to ask, with all honesty. "What is wrong with your family?"

Yuu only laughed. To Ryouma, it almost sounded like a cackle.


	9. 9

9.

Ryouma wasn't poor by any means, but visiting Yuu as was semi required once a year, always made him wonder.

"What do your parents do for a living?" he often asked aghast.

He received the same answer every time. "Not raise their kids, that's for sure." And that would be that. There was only so far you pushed a nice guy's good will after all.

"What's the damage this time?" he asked as they locked their bikes to go into the grocery store.

Yuu shrugged, rolling his eyes. "I never know until I get there. Though Taiki-san was trying to do it at home, his mother blew up the kitchen first."

"His mother?"

"They've been trying to get her to cook since she caught Taiki trying to make rice and cook chicken at the age of four. It's never stuck." Yuu sounded dismissive and exasperated. "I really do love him sometimes."

Ryouma paused. "Do you?"

"Not as much as you do, but yeah."

Ryouma threw a gumball at him.


	10. 10

10.

"Why do you get scones from here when I now have audio proof you can make them?"

Taiki blinked. "You mean a testimony."

Ryouma managed a glare through his burning face. "You know exactly what I meant."

Taiki's smile made his stomach lurch with glee. "Well it's easier to see a friend when I'm visiting their workplace."

Ryouma made a face. "Not sure what to feel about that."

"You can always ask off shift."

Ryouma felt his singular uncontrolled curl stand on end. "Was that- did you just ask me on a date?"

"Possibly." And then he was gone. And he left his tea.

"I'm taking my break early," Ryouma told his coworker, and fled.


	11. 11

11.

Ren did not have any sympathy. Ryouma didn't know why he'd bothered to ask for it. At least he got to beat him in Mario Kart while he dragged his hands through his bag for his gum, laughing the entire way down.

"Ass," Ryouma told him, getting right back into his game. "He asked me on a date. At work. Casually."

"We keep telling you he's perfect."

"Shut up."

"Say yes."

Ryouma threw the controller at his chest.


	12. 12

12.

"I didn't think you'd make it."

Taiki stood in front of him, general unconcern and styrofoam teas in hand. Ryouma took one, ears red.

"You asked," he managed to say, face pink. "Did you think I'd stand you up?"

"You've seen the weather," Taiki said, gesturing vaguely towards the outside with his elbow at the howling wind.

"Point," Ryouma agreed. "I didn't know you lived so close to the train."

"Very few people come over," Taiki agreed. "Now, come on, before I ask you to make coffee."

Ryouma's lips quirked. "Fun fact, I've never made a cup in my life."

"THere's a reason I ordered tea whenever you were there."

Ryouma almost laughed. He settled for burying his face in his tea instead. "Just for that I'm going to make you a cup when you come next time."

Taiki's eyes sparkled with mirth. "Good to know there will be a next time."

Ryouma scowled at him, green chips flashing. "I… there's…"

"Your faith in me is astounding."

Oh was he going to regret this or what?

(Spoiler alert: he didn't.)


End file.
